Technically this is a sequel to another fic of mine called 'Take All My Fraction'. The same person who commissioned that came back and commissioned this six-chapter follow-up. All you need to know is Philza and Kristin are royals and Phil found 6yo Techno when out travelling. Techno is the Blood God's chosen one.

Kristin always missed her husband dearly when he went away on his travels.

That wasn't to say she begrudged him for leaving her for weeks at a time. When Kristin fell in love with Phil, she fell in love with all of him - his curiosity about the world and desire to see more of it was one of the things she'd admired about him most. Especially because she'd had a more sheltered upbringing herself. Getting to know somebody so full of wanderlust had been refreshing.

She'd always known that cooping Phil up would make him miserable, which was the last thing she wanted. Kristin didn't resent him for needing this freedom like most people needed air either. As long as Phil came back to her eventually, she was content. She was happy. And she was aware he would offer her that same affection in return, always.

But she'd never expected him to come back from one of his journeys with a child.

When she heard that her husband was back, Kristin promptly abandoned the court, leaving the nobles to decry their protest. She couldn't stand listening to their petty complaints a moment longer knowing Phil was at the stables already, so she dismissed them with a simple gesture. Whatever troubled them wouldn't burn the country down if it had to wait for another day.

Pulling her long skirts up over her ankles, smiling at the thought of her former teachers chiding her for a lack of decorum, Kristin hurried through the marbled hallways. The servants barely had time to bow to her before she rushed past them. Her mind was set on their reunion, imagination come alive with guesses on where he'd gone and what stories he'd have to tell her later.

When she rounded the corner of the courtyard and saw Phil had already passed his horse along to the stableboy, Kristin practically flung herself into her husband's arms. Phil almost fell over and had to plant both heels into the cobblestone lest they both end up on the ground. His wings flaring out might be the only thing that kept them from toppling over. Kristin could feel the laugh bursting from his lips as it shook his chest, his arms also were winding around to pull her closer. His hat had fallen to the ground but Phil didn't give it a second glance, opting instead to press their foreheads together.

Yes, Kristin always missed her husband dearly when he went away. But that paled in comparison to the joy she felt when he returned, washing away any sorrow that had rooted in her heart with laughable ease. Phil smiled brighter than the sun. His fingers were rough but gentle as he cupped her cheek and kissed her.

Kristin giggled at the feeling of his half-beard, pushing him away with a giggle. "I love you but please shave that godawful thing before getting in bed with me tonight."

"I take it you're glad I'm back," Phil said. "Maybe I'll keep it, I quite like it actually." He stroked his own chin in such an exaggerated manner she knew he only did it to draw another laugh out of her. "I think it makes me look distinguished."

"It makes you look old," Kristin told him. The way that got Phil to furrow his brow in mock offense had her grinning.

He hooked his arm around her waist again, reeling her in for another kiss. That was when she saw something move near his feet and when Kristin looked down, she was met with the big red eyes of a child.

She turned her face away to look properly - partway assuming her sight might have deceived her and leaving Phil to peck her cheek as he was still oblivious to what drew her attention. Kristin just blinked at the child for a moment, confusion needing a moment to catch up. The child looked back, unpertrubed.

"Uh, dear…" She could feel Phil go still. Kristin never used nicknames for him unless it was in jest or she was angry with him. At the moment, she wasn't sure which it'd be yet. "Who is this?"

All at once Phil let go and took a step back, almost stumbling over his own two feet. Near the front of the stables, there was a short, cut-off chuckle. The stableboys ducked their heads at Kristin's glare, pretending to be very busy with their work.

"Right, I almost forgot." Phil said it so casually - as if the acquisition of a whole child was something that could have easily slipped from his memory. He reached out to put his hand on the boy's back, pushing him forward a little bit. "Kristin, this is Technoblade. Technoblade, this is who I've told you so much about."

The boy - Technoblade - was still looking up at her intently. He clearly saw no shame in staring, and Kristin wasn't sure she'd caught him blinking even once so far. He was not human, that much was certain. Aside from his irises being a deep crimson and his hair an oddly pleasing shade of soft pink, he also had a tail. At the moment, he kept the length of it wrapped around his own hip, fingers messing with the small tuft at the end nervously. Phil tried to move to the side, but Technoblade followed the motion so he could stay half-hidden behind Phil's leg.

"He's a bit shy," Phil said lamely. "He'll warm up to you, I'm sure."

And finally, something else broke through the confusion. "That's not-" Kristin pinched at the bridge of her nose. She wasn't angry, or upset, or any of that. She was a bit frustrated, though. And in need of a proper explanation. "Phil, how did this happen? Who is he?"

Phil smiled sheepishly at her. "We should sit down for this, it might take a bit."

"I have all the time in the world," Kristin said.

The walk back to their quarters was a little awkward, though Kristin couldn't help but think Techno trailing after Phil was pretty cute. The boy was seemingly very attached to her husband, sticking to him like glue. When they sat down, Techno pushed his chair over so it was right beside Phil's and they could sit closer together.

Phil smiled at him, giving Techno a quick pat on the head which made one of Techno's long, pointy ears twitch in response. His expression was one of contentment, small tusks peeking from the sides of his lips.

Definitely not human, though Kristin had a hard time telling what species Techno could be.

"It all started when I found him near a Nether portal two weeks ago."

Phil launched into an explanation of the events that led to his return, detailing how he met Techno and initially only had him stay the night because he felt bad about putting a kid out in the cold. Something Kristin didn't disagree with. What did strike her as odd was the part after that, when Phil recounted being accosted in an alleyway and how Techno had followed and saved him.

He told Kristin about the divinity that clung to Techno like a shadow.

Automatically she looked at the child again when Phil spoke those words. As if at once the boy that sat there would have been transformed into a wicked beast.

But still, all she saw was a boy.

"I know it sounds strange-"

"I believe you," Kristin said before he could finish his sentence. As unusual as the tale had been, more than anything else Kristin knew she trusted Phil. There was no room for doubt in her heart, not in the face of her love for him. And he'd have no reason to lie about this. "Is that why you brought him back with you?"

"Aside from the fact that I'd never live with myself letting him roam around and possibly die," Phil said plainly, cutting straight to the point. "It also simply didn't feel like a good idea. He'd be our problem either way if something happened, right?"

"Definitely." Kristin prided herself on being very hands-on as a queen, resolving to handle even smaller matters within their borders herself. Phil stood at her side through it all, sharing her sentiment. One couldn't be a good ruler without knowing the concerns and perils of the commoners.

So if there was a six-year-old godly conduit on the loose doing lord knows what, the royals would certainly be expected to do something about that sooner rather than later. At least with the boy in the castle, they could keep an eye on him from the start. Phil's logic made sense. So Kristin agreed to let Techno stay.

"What will the nobles say though," Kristin sighed, leaning her elbow on the table. "They'll probably have a few choice words about us taking in a random child before producing an heir of our own."

"They can fuck right off," Phil said - which made Kristin laugh. The internal politics of the court had never been Phil's forte. Besides, neither of them was really in a hurry to produce the offspring their country no doubt expected of them.

But with a gentler smile, he closed his hand over hers and squeezed.

"Seriously, we'll figure something out. It'll be fine."

Kristin didn't actually doubt that things would be fine, she still turned her palm over to grasp back. The whole situation was overwhelming in how it took her by surprise, but she was not as opposed to it as she'd thought she'd be. She could see in Phil's eyes he already cared for Techno, could see it in the way Phil didn't even blink when they stood up and the boy immediately took his hand. In time, she would learn to love him too.

And thus Techno started to live in the castle with them.

It was an odd thing to get used to. Phil had warned Kristin that Techno seemed to be very attached to him, more than a normal child would be to their caretaker. But that had truly been an understatement. Where Phil went, Techno followed, never trailing more than five paces behind. He didn't sleep either - something which freaked Kristin out at first but also got easier to shake off after Techno got a room of his own. She didn't dislike the child, but the idea of having him sit there and watch them sleep… That was a little much.

Techno seemed a bit anxious about this change at first. He often came to their room in the middle of the night or they would wake up in the morning to find him sitting in front of their bedroom door, curled in on himself and waiting for them to wake.

"Perhaps we can find something to occupy him? A book?" Kristin looked down at Techno, who was holding Phil's hand again.

Her husband shrugged. "I honestly don't think he can read."

"Books can have pictures in them," Kristin pointed out.

"What about a map? So he can get to know the town?"

Phil's suggestion worked out perfectly. Techno soon learned the layout of the castle and after that the royal grounds. He even started venturing out into the town sometimes, tearing himself away from Phil's side to explore. Kristin wasn't sure if they should be worried about Techno getting into trouble, especially when he went out for hours at a time. But he always came back by sunset and the guards assured her Techno spent most of his time walking around and looking at things, studying them in minute detail.

She wouldn't lie and say that endless curiosity for the world and everything in it didn't remind her of Phil, a thought which warmed her heart.

Techno didn't talk. Phil said he had once - obviously, how else could he have known Techno's name - and his voice wasn't broken. Sometimes when something surprised him Kristin would hear the quiet echo of a gasp. She had heard the light chime of his laughter, childlike in a way she couldn't quite describe. But he didn't speak despite understanding the language.

"Uhm, do you want his?" Kristin asked, holding the brush she was holding out to Techno after the boy had spent the past half hour staring at her doing her hair. It was long and thick, a relic of her long-gone family, and took some work to keep proper.

And whenever she did that, spending the morning humming to herself and brushing her hair over her shoulder in front of the mirror, she would notice Techno would creep in and watch her. He was fascinated by the action perhaps, or by something else.

When she held it out, his eyes widened at her offer and he nodded.

Clawed hands gripped the brush almost reverently, looking at it as if it was valuable. The handle was made from ivory, the bristles were boar hair. Techno held it close to his chest.

"You can use it," Kristin said. "I mean, that's what it's meant for."

Techno looked up at her, then raised his arms to draw the brush through his own hair. Haphazardly and in the wrong direction, so the strands got tangled and into his face. Kristin laughed.

"Oh, oh no, that's- here, let me show you." She took the brush from him again and turned him around by his shoulder so she could do his hair. "Like this."

Their eyes met in the mirror and Techno smiled.

Techno's hair was coarse and almost as thick as her own. Phil had assumed piglin heritage, but Kristin doubted it. Techno's tail wasn't right for it, long and thin rather than the short, curly one she'd expect for that species. And his tusks were too small. Techno was also pretty tall for his age, where piglins were usually shorter. She'd never seen a piglin with red eyes either.

Not that she had any idea what Techno could be. All she knew was that Phil loved him and for now, that would have to be enough.

For all intents and purposes, Techno seemed a normal child despite him not being a human. A little shy, but filled with the same curiosity and mischief any boy that age should possess. Kristin was almost starting to doubt the thing Phil told her about the divinity that clung to him. Almost.

Kristin was a light sleeper. The smallest noise could wake her and she often found herself pulled out of slumber in between dreams. Usually, falling back asleep was as simple as turning over in bed, the weight of Phil's arm around her waist a comforting presence.

Tonight, that was not the case.

Tonight, she was tossing and turning yet unable to find rest. Kristin sighed but eventually gave up and decided a short walk through the gardens would help clear her head. She slipped from beneath the blankets, sliding her feet into the slippers she kept next to the bed. Before she went out, she grabbed a cloak from her dresser in case it was chilly out.

The castle was silent this late at night, her footfalls echoing on marble. Kristin watched the shadows that candles made flicker across the walls. It was peaceful, just the way she liked it. But when she walked out into the garden she wasn't alone.

The queen froze in place at the sight before her, the darkness fickle enough to belie its true nature. For a moment she was struck only by the image of Techno standing there, moonlight illuminating his small frame, barefooted on the grass.

Then the darkness shifted, reaching out to him.

Techno smiled and tilted his chin up, holding out his hand to it. Small fingers closed around it gently, and if Kristin's eyes didn't betray her, it seemed to curl around him in return. A million eyes peered at the child before it from its fluid shape, watching it in silent contemplation.

"Techno?"

He snapped his head to the side, eyes reflective and seemingly pure red for a moment. Like a predator stalking the night. But it was merely a trick of the light combined with some strange physiology no doubt, and in the next moment, Techno was running up to her with that same smile still in place - innocent to her disturbance over what she saw.

Kristin wasn't scared though.

She felt like she should be. What she just witnessed could not be of their world, yet it felt as if it was intrinsically attached to Techno. It belonged there, she knew without question.

Techno reached for her hand and Kristin took it. His skin was warm.

"What was that?" she asked.

Techno looked back over his shoulder, where the darkness had melted away again. Then he looked at her and shrugged. He did not seem to consider what just happened as concerning, or even unusual.

Then again, if a creature like that attaches itself to your very soul, you probably get used to its presence very quickly.

"Let's go back inside," Kristin said. "It's cold outside."

And with that, she took Techno back to his room and tucked him into a bed he wouldn't sleep in.